Breaking Away (1979)

Dennis Quaid: Mike

Photos 

Quotes 

• Mike : They're gonna keep callin' us "cutters." To them, it's just a dirty word. To me, it's just somethin' else I never got a chance to be.

• Cyril : Hey! Are you really gonna shave your legs?

  Dave : Certo! All the Italians do it.

  Mike : Ah. Some country. The women don't shave theirs.

• Mike : That's the place to be right there, Wyoming! Nothin' but prairies and mountains and nobody around. All you need is your bed roll and a good horse.

  Cyril : Don't forget your toothbrush! You're still in your cavity-prone years.

• Mike : You want to tell me who did it?

  Cyril : It was dark... All I can tell your for sure is that they all wore Brut after-shave and reeked of Lavoris.

• Cyril : You know what I'd like to be? A cartoon of some kind. You know, like when they get hit in the head with a frying pan or something, and their head looks like the frying pan, with the handle and everything? They they just go *booiing*

  [shakes head] 

  Cyril : and their head comes back to normal? Wouldn't that be great?

  Mike : How'd you get to be so stupid, Cyril?

  Cyril : I don't know... I have a dumb heredity, I guess. What's your excuse, Michael?

• Cyril : When you're 16 they call it Sweet 16 and when you're 18 you get to drink and and vote and see dirty movies. What the hell do you get to do when you're 19?

  Mike : You leave home.

  Cyril : My Dad said that Jesus never went further than 50 miles from his home.

  Mike : Well, look what happened to him.

• Mike : The only thing I'm afraid of is wastin' the rest of my life with you guys!

  Cyril : I thought that was the whole plan. That we were going to waste the rest of our lives together.

• Mike : [after discovering that the college kids beat Cyril up]  They want a fight, we'll give 'em a fight.

  Cyril : We rednecks are few... college paleface students are many. I counsel peace.

• Moocher : [watching the college kids on campus]  Sure looks like they've got it made.

  Mike : That's because they're rich.

  Dave : Italians are poor, but they're happy.

  Mike : Yeah? Maybe in Italy.

• Mike : You know, I used to think I was a really great quarterback in high school. I still think so too. Can't even bring myself to light a cigarette, cause I keep thinkin' I gotta stay in shape. - You know what really gets me though? I mean, here I am, I gotta live in this stinkin' town and I gotta read in the newspapers about some hot shot kid - new star of the college team. Every year its gonna be a new one. And every year its never gonna be me. I'm just gonna be Mike. Twenty year old Mike. Thirty year old Mike. Old mean old man Mike.

• Cyril : You know what I'd like to be?

  Mike : Smart.

• Moocher : Hey, come on in, Dave.

  Dave : Nah, I read where this Italian coach said its no good to go swimmin' right after a race.

  Mike : Who's swimmin'? I'm takin' a leak.

• Moocher : Mike, the time comes when we just all have to go our own ways, you know.

  Mike : Oh, you're a real adult, aren't ya. B-town boy grows up.